Homesteading and Livestock
Self-reliance and sustainability in the 21st century.

As a rule (and please don’t hesitate to correct me if I’m wrong), the people who start upon the homesteading and/or rural living dream aren’t rich. That is because those who long for a simpler, more sustainable life generally don’t have the right mentality or the motivation for making a lot of money.

While I’m a huge advocate for this very lifestyle, and am passionate about simplifying and doing more on less, I believe one must be sober and walk this path with eyes wide open. You don’t have to be rich, but you need a stash of cash, some sort of a financial cushion, before you jump headlong into the homesteading adventure. If you barely have enough money to purchase your land and buy or build your house, you might very soon find yourself in a strait.

This is especially true if you buy a fixer-upper. When we bought this house, nearly four years ago, we saw all its flaws, but we had so many exciting plans – we would open a window from the kitchen, build a beautiful pergola with terracotta tiles, hire a tractor in order to make terraces on the part of our property which has a sharp slope, install a water recycling system… you get the idea.

Well, let me tell you, at this moment there’s still no window in the kitchen, and mornings are dismally dark because our only living area window faces full west. The pergola idea was abandoned in favor of a cheap little awning to keep the rain off the front step. The place where the terracotta tiles were supposed to be is still an ugly, uneven, sagging concrete square where water pools after every rain. And so on and so forth.

This happened mainly because we didn’t plan enough for unexpected expenses. A lot of money was swallowed up by urgent projects such as a leaky roof, drafty windows, and walls that needed to be plastered because the insulation was done all wrong (something we could have no idea of before living here for a few months).

Lesson learned: something will always crop up, and things always cost four times more than you planned, so set aside some money accordingly.

Another thing is ongoing expenses. It makes perfect sense to say, “quit paying rent for a measly little city apartment and move out to live a quaint, back-to-basics lifestyle on the land!” – and, indeed, there is no greater satisfaction than waking up in the morning and walking across the dew-damp grass into my own chicken coop to collect my own fresh eggs – but again, one needs to keep one’s eyes open as to the actual money matters. Some things about rural living are veritable money guzzlers. There’s the price of gas, for instance. Every drive for errands and shopping is a journey. The car gets more wear and tear due to the longer distances, and fixing it up costs money. Those who live in an area with decent public transportation can get rid of the car, or at the very least use it a lot less often, and save a great deal on gas, car maintenance and insurance.

Home maintenance costs money. Land maintenance costs money. Gas costs a lot of money. Whatever homesteading project you might want to do on your property costs as well, from setting up a chicken coop to building fences – though the expenses can vary wildly according to your budget, creativity and DIY skills. It takes a lot of time for these projects to turn productive, not to mention offset the initial cost. And while we love supporting our farmer friends and buying top-quality, organic local produce, it doesn’t actually save money – large chain stores and coupons do, though they are a disaster in terms of food quality, ecology and the community.

Lesson learned: a rural life is not inherently a low-cost life.

Another consideration is that, if you happen to be in urgent need of a little extra money, picking up a temporary and/or second job is a lot harder to do when you live out in the boonies and it takes at least an hour to drive out anywhere. Employment options will be limited, and that’s a fact.

My main point, however, isn’t to be negative and dissuade people from following their homesteading dream. On the contrary! But one does need a combination of realism and creativity in order to hang on through the initial hurdles. Here’s the best advice I can offer from our experience:

Don’t delay inevitable projects. You can say, “We’ll install a greywater system sometime in the future when we can afford it”, but you can’t say “Oh, it doesn’t matter that the roof leaks – we’ll just move in and fix it before the rainy season”. Next thing you know, the rains will start early, and you’ll be running around placing buckets underneath the trickles of water. So prioritize those essentials and pay for them at once, or set the money aside so that you absolutely cannot touch it for anything else.

Always plan to spend more money than you plan. This sounds rather like a paradox, but always take unexpected turns into account.

Be your own handyman (or handywoman!). If you aren’t a carpenter, plumber, builder, etc… well, it’s about time to diversify your skills, because otherwise, you’ll soon find your money sinking into a bottomless pit.

Alternative economy – swap products and services, lend and borrow tools and, in general, look for ways to pay with your time rather than your money. People have been doing it for millennia, creating strong communities and bypassing cash and taxes.

Be creative with your income sources. Reality check: you won’t be living off your new homestead anytime soon, and unless you have a thick cushion of savings, you will need to keep up some sort of income. Your primary goal is flexibility, whether you choose local employment or online options.

Anna Twitto’s academic background in nutrition made her care deeply about real food and seek ways to obtain it. Anna and her husband live on a plot of land in Israel. They aim to grow and raise a significant part of their food by maintaining a vegetable garden, keeping a flock of backyard chickens and foraging. Anna's books are on her Amazon.com Author Page. Connect with Anna onFacebook and read more about her current projects on herblog. Read all Anna's Mother Earth News posts here.

All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers have agreed to follow our Blogging Guidelines, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts. To learn more about the author of this post, click on their byline link at the top of the page.

For any goat owner, the kidding season can come with its share of stresses. However, when it’s your first kidding season, it can be downright terrifying. Although most births go off without a hitch, the fear of the unknown can be rather scary.

On our farm, we find ourselves right in the center of the scary unknown. We only recently started into dairy goats with the hope of creating some amazing goat milk products. This entire endeavor depends solely upon a successful first kidding season. Our heard must grow, and healthy does and doelings are the key components to the growth.

We are trying to be as proactive as possible coming into this birthing season. With the first births beginning mid-February, I find myself scouring the internet and referencing my goat books for any missed details. I have watched so many goat birthing videos I should be having nightmares.

Preparing the Goat-Birthing Setup

Ginger, our gorgeous Oberhasli doe, is the first due to give birth. Our veterinarian, Dr. Dean, came to check on her last week and update her CDT vaccine. He felt pretty confident that Ginger is only expecting one, maybe two, babies. He stated that this reduces the risk of potential problems dramatically, giving us a little peace of mind.

On the advice of the breeder, we bought Ginger from, we moved her to a private birthing pen in the garage this past weekend. We decided to use a 10-by-10-foot dog kennel we had laying around, giving her plenty of space to move about. We layered the floor with stall mats and clean dry straw to help keep her warm and comfy. All her buckets and food containers have been cleaned, sanitized, and filled.

Keeping Ginger in a heated garage during the unpredictable Ohio winter seems makes perfect sense — it also allows us to keep a closer eye on her as she comes closer to the finish line. If by chance we sadly miss the birth, we won’t have to be concerned that the babies will freeze to death.

Preparing for Goat Birthing Intervention

So, what all do we need in order to be prepared? After a ton of research and with our vet’s advice, we prepared a go tote.I packed:

Our doctor is officially on speed dial in case an emergency intervention is needed.Our hope is not to intervene at all, allowing Ginger to birth and mother unassisted. This is her third freshening, however her first time being given the opportunity to mother.

If her choice leaves us with a bottle baby, we are prepared for that scenario as well. We’ve purchased baby bottles and a play pen is on standby, while our children are ready to help take feeding shifts if necessary. We have been preparing mama as well by upping the protein level in her feed and adding extra alfalfa to her diet.

The Farm Impatiently Waits

The whole farm is impatiently waiting to hear the first baby to bahhaa. Our Jersey steer, Fin, jumped the fence yesterday to find Ginger and check on her. That was a heck of a sight when we pulled up the drive. Who expects a cow to be waiting at the garage door? Not me!

Fin has never gotten loose or jumped the fence before, a first for everything I guess. Once we allowed him to see her, he effortlessly walked back to the barn and into his stall. The chickens have been clucking all about the big event for days, debating how many babies and the sexes. I believe they have a poll going. I wonder what the winner gets?

The other goats seem unsure whether or not they want to hear about the kidding experience, as they’re all first fresheners. As for Daisy, our Irish Dexter, she seems pretty content having all the hay in the feeder to herself for now.

My kids, hubby, and I can’t wait for the big event! We’ve been checking her ligaments and bag development daily for any signs. We are really hoping for a healthy happy mama and baby at the end of this journey. Stay tuned for Part 2, after Ginger has her babies.

Photos by Noah Miller

Carrie MillerrunsMiller Micro Farmin Ohio, where she spends a lot of her time preserving the bounties through canning and freezing and repurposing daily items around the farm in new and creative ways. She is a photographer and blogger forCommunity Chickens. Connect with Carrie onFacebook.

All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers have agreed to follow our Blogging Guidelines, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts. To learn more about the author of this post, click on their byline link at the top of the page.

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